Astoria Gaels 2004 Gaelic Football Season Roundup
It was the season we had thrived so long for in the corridors of Junior B and the wait was worth it. Our first year at the Junior A level proved to be successful as we strode with head held high to run the eventual champions Meath to three points in the playoffs after the regular season was complete. While it is hard to look on an end of season loss as a positive, it was a learning experience that will surely stand to the team for the 2005 year.
Under the tutelage of new manager Kieran Cull the opening game was the perfect start at Gaelic Park when old nemesis Kerry were conquered by a score line of 0-09 to 0-06. The lineout for the first game at the grade was as follows- 1 Eugene Kyne 2 Ger O’Brien 3 Timmy Lynch 4 Kevin Nee 5 PJ Burke 6 Niall Sugrue 7 Damien Ward 8 Sam Yore 9 Barry Keegan 10 Michael Coyle 11 Derek McKenna(0-01) 12 Nester Allen (0-04) 13 Niall McGuinness (0-01) 14 Adrian Flannerey 15 Stephen Doyle (0-02) Subs Stephen Mullen (0-01). Allen was the star of the day with help from Burke, Yore and Georgie Doyle.
On May 19th Armagh was the next opponent and in one of the hardest hitting games of the year Astoria ended up with two losses. The score line was 1-09 to 1-06 in the Orchard clubs favor, but the real story was the wrongful sending off of Conor Corbett and the devastating shoulder injury to Sam Yore that would sideline him for the rest of the regular season. Rangers gave the Gaels their second defeat of the year 1-17 to 1-07 in a largely forgettable evening in Van Cortland, as the division proved that it was a major step up in standard. The trip to Rockland to challenge Fermanagh was the proverbial walk over the record was again at .500. The Mournemen of Down at Gaelic Park was another physical encounter on June 20th with Kieran Cull using all his vocabulary to power his charges home 1-11 to 0-06. While we finished with thirteen men it was a team performance that secured the victory with Niall Sugrue and Derek McKenna leading the way. Donegal were defeated 11 points to 5 back in Van Cortland and the Gaels were now standing at 4 wins and 2 losses with the leader of the division St Barnabas waiting at the Mecca on July 18th. While the Saints were the victors Astoria had their chances to win this one before succumbing 2-06 to 0-07 on two late goals. Michael Conroy, Sugrue and Timmy Lynch were outstanding with help from returning exile Tommy O’Connor. Tyrone was defeated in the next group game before Brooklyn gave us a serious fright in a fixture that was called early due to a thunder storm. The final group encounter was against the Royal County when the lesson of the day was hammering. The score line required a calculator but the Gaels were seriously undermanned, the news that the quarter final would pit the same two teams again was probably music to the ears of the Meath men however it was a changed face for the game in Gaelic Park. The sight of Sam Yore returning to the line-up and leading his charges out on the field was the perfect prescription for the weary panel. Player of the year Derek McKenna gave a lesson in heart with Michael Coyle getting an all important goal to tie the game up with five minutes left. Meath ran out the last three points however to leave the final score Meath 1-12 Astoria 2-06 as they moved on to win the A title.
Having experienced our first year in Junior A, we can look forward to the new season with confidence and the knowledge that we can contend at this level and will challenge for the title sooner rather than later.